“Some believe and some do not believe, but they can come and look at my paintings as evidence, and make up their own minds.” – Vann Nath

I knew Vann Nath quite well and visited him often – especially when he was really sick. With Nath, we lost one of the few witnesses to survive the most unspeakable torture center, Tuol Sleng prison ( known as S21).

Nath was talented, kind and friendly – a very decent human being. We at Cambodian Living Arts will miss him greatly and will forever cherish his friendship, support and his love of the arts and of Khmer culture.

We deeply appreciate the time in 2004 when Nath offered to guide a CLA group through Tuol Sleng prison. With courage and determination he showed us where he was captured and tortured in Toul Sleng prison. I could not believe he could go there with us, but he wanted to be our guide and interpreter.

We send our love and condolences to his family and we are deeply grateful for his life and for his willingness to sacrifice and to share his painful memories of his past so that we can learn to live with each other in harmony, peace and love… Thank you Master Vann Nath.

The best time to visit Angkor Wat – and most of the other temples – is in the early morning or late afternoon. The heat is less intense, and you’ll avoid the big tour crowds. Sunrise at Angkor Wat is particularly enchanting if you can arrange it with your driver. But the ruins are worth visiting at any time of the day. The thunder and light showers that accompanied my visit to some of the temples created an appropriately mystical atmosphere.

Visiting the temples during the rainy season is definitely an underrated experience. As Mr Ray implies, the dark skies and heavy downpours magnify Angkor’s powerful atmosphere. And a good thunderstorm is guaranteed to send scampering all but the most determined tourists.

Now in its third year, the Angkor Golf Resort’s annual amateur tournament will draw nearly 100 players from more than a dozen nations.

Anyone who loves playing golf and who wants to check out the Angkor Wat temple complex might want to participate in the Angkor Amateur Open Golf Tour in Siem Reap from Aug. 4-8.

Now in its third year, the annual event is aimed at promoting Siem Reap and the Angkor Golf Resort, where the tournament is taking place, to golfers from around the globe.

“For a truly spiritual and unique golf experience, Siem Reap is difficult to beat,” says Adam Robertson, General Manager of the Angkor Golf Resort. “It is one of the newest golf destinations in South East Asia and those who play will be playing on one of the top courses in Asia,”

Robertson expects between 70 and 80 golfers to attend, and as of July 28, 67 golfers had confirmed participation, representing such countries as Australia, Cambodia, The Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, South Korea, Holland, The UK, France, Belgium and Japan.

The handicapped event attracts golfers of all abilities, and tournament organizers will award prizes in four different handicap divisions.

The event has proven quite popular in the past two years it has been held.

“They have been very successful, with each year attracting an increase in golfers from different countries,” Robertson points out. “We have also increased the number of sponsors, which shows us there is a healthy amount of companies wishing to align themselves with golf sponsorships.”

Entry fee for the 5-day tournament is US$280

The FCC Angkor Boutique Hotel is offering a special rate of US$70 per night during the Angkor Amateur golf open, inclusive of:

Experts value the global trade in illegal wildlife at about $30 billion per year. For a few animals fortunate enough to find rescue, sanctuary awaits in the hills of Takeo.

Two months ago, Noor Mahmood almost achieved the unthinkable: about to fly first-class to Dubai, the 36-year-old United Arab Emirates national calmly deposited his hand luggage on an x-ray scanner at Bangkok Airport. As the case trundled past security, not a single member of staff noticed the marmoset, gibbon, Asiatic black bear and four leopards “all drugged and less than two months old” packed tightly inside.

Just as he was about to board, Mahmood felt a hand on his shoulder.

Collared by Thai wildlife taskforce police, he bragged about having connections with a former Thai prime minister in the hope of being released. The officers refused to budge and a conviction seemed certain — until the suspect was later released on bail and immediately fled the country.

The scenario is all too familiar to those who work to combat Southeast Asia’s illegal trade in wildlife. Prosecutions are rare; prison sentences even more so.

Freeland Foundation Director Steven Galster, who works closely with police throughout the region, said at the time of the arrest: “Over the past six years, we’ve seen only one trafficker go to prison – and that was because the prosecutor knew what he was doing and happened to be an animal lover.”

Cambodian Safe Houses

The illegal trade in endangered species is believed to be worth up to $30 billion a year, 25% of which passes through Southeast Asia. The volume is increasing, according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature’s regional office, but so are efforts to stop it.

Among those efforts is Phnom Tamao Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia, a sprawling 2,500-acre “safe house” for exotic creatures rescued from the clutches of would-be smugglers.

The sanctuary, which is run by Wildlife Alliance within a protected forest, is home to a spectacular array of Cambodian fauna, including the world’s largest captive collections of pileated gibbons and Malayan sun bears.

Other rarities include the delightfully named hairy-nosed otters, the slow loris and the knobbly kneed greater adjutant stork, a feathered oddity if ever there was one.

Here, more than 1,200 creatures representing 93 endangered or threatened species preen, posture and play in the safety of leafy enclosures, peered at by wave after wave of curious onlookers.

Prostrate next to a large inviting pool, a row of Siamese crocodiles with jaws slightly ajar soak up the sunshine like prehistoric solar panels. Believed extinct until the centre discovered several pure-blood specimens within its own perimeter, they have a special place in Khmer history and can be seen carved into the ancient walls of Angkor Wat.

A few enclosures on, a gasping crowd has gathered to watch an enormous python slowly uncoil itself.

Elephant Disco

Midway through lunch, my Cambodian companion nudges me when a burst of music erupts nearby.

“Elephant disco,” he says, sagely. I laugh, assuming I’ve misheard.

Not so. One of the core values here is promoting conservation efforts by engaging visitors as much as possible.

More than 20,000 people come here every year to learn about wildlife. In addition to a Bear Discovery Centre, which details the horrors of the bile trade and traditional “delicacies” such as bear paw soup, visitors are given the chance to interact with some of the sanctuary’s residents, including the elephant gently probing a water melon in the outstretched hand of the boy beside me.

When a snake-like trunk plucks it out of his hand and deposits it into a gaping grey mouth, he giggles. When it returns to remove a 1,000-riel note from his other hand and passes it to the keeper, the giggles turn to guffaws.

“Whether we’re making a global impact or not, I don’t know, but certainly we’re touching Cambodia,” says Wildlife Rescue Director Nick Marx, who oversees Phnom Tamao. “The people that know us, they know we’re doing a good job. They can see what can be done with a little bit of money and a lot of hard work and passion. I have always loved wild animals and always will. What people are now doing for wildlife populations is catastrophic: reducing many, many species to extinction. This has to stop. If I can play my little part in helping to stop that, then I reckon my life’s been worthwhile.”

Highly regarded local shutterbug Mak Remissa has submitted work to this year’s One Life international photo competition. First prize is $10,000.

The three photos submitted come from Mr Remissa’s 2005 fine art series titled “When the water rises, the fish eats the ant; when the water recedes, the ant eats the fish.”

Mak Remissa is regarded as one of the most successful Khmer photographers of his generation. He credits his first and third place awards in the National Photojournalism competition in 1997 held by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club and chaired by Phillip Jones Griffiths as a major catalyst in his career. Currently working as a photojournalist for the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA), his work is often seen on the international news wires. He has also utilised Phnom Penh galleries like Popil and Java and the Angkor Photo Festival to showcase his 2005 fine art photography exhibition, titled after a traditional Khmer proverb: “When the water rises, the fish eats the ant; when the water recedes, the ant eats the fish.”

The annual Angkor Photo Fest brings together hundreds of photographers from around the world for a week of photography, teaching, learning and carousing. This year, the 8-day festival opens in Siem Reap on November 19, 2011, with daily exhibitions around town open free to the public. It’s a great vibe, and if you are in the area, it’s very worth dropping in for. (PHOTO: Mak Remissa/Asia Motion)

Pilloried by many a seasoned traveler, an old, well-thumbed guide book can jump-start more than a few great adventures. Just ask Brian Thacker.

He borrowed the original 1975 South-East Asia on a Shoestring from Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler and used it as his only guidebook.

Forget what’s trendy along the Banana Pancake Trail now, Thacker wanted to find out what was still left and who was still around – minus the bell-bottoms.

And what an adventure he had.

He broke bread with a gang of ravenous rats, swam with a goat-eating crocodile and got hopelessly lost while traipsing through Portuguese Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Burma and Singapore.

In all, Thacker spent 12 unforgettable weeks uncovering Wheeler’s original Southeast Asia trail. He chronicles each step in Tell Them to Get Lost, published by Random House Australia.